REGULATIONS DEFINING THE SCOPE OF THE PROFESSION OF DIETETICS

HEALTH PROFESSIONS COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA

DT/03

R 891 26 April 1991

REGULATIONS DEFINING THE SCOPE OF THE PROFESSION OF DIETETICS

The Minister of National Health has, in terms of section 33(1) of the Medical, Dental and Supplementary

Health Service Professions Act, 1974 (Act No 56 of 1974), on the recommendation of the South African

Medical and Dental Council, made the regulations set out in the Schedule hereto.

SCHEDULE

1. In these regulations, unless the context otherwise indicates “the Act” shall mean the Medical,

Dental and Supplementary Health Service Professions Act, 1974 (Act No 56 of 1974) and any

expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall bear such meaning.

2. The following acts are acts which shall for the purposes of the application of the Act be deemed

to be acts pertaining to the profession of dietetics:

(a) The application of knowledge and skills by:

(i) the establishing and applying of guidelines for the maintenance of healthy

nutritional practices for individuals;

(ii) the applying of dietary principles as part of the treatment of an individual, relative

to a specific disease and following prescription by a medical doctor;

(iii) the establishing and applying of guidelines for adequate food and nutrition in the

community in institutions for healthy and or ill persons;

(iv) participation in research on aspects of dietetics;

(v) Participation in formal and informal education in the field of dietetics.

(b) The promotion of community nutrition by –

(i) the accurate interpretation of the science of normal and therapeutic nutrition;

(ii) the professional communication of scientifically based nutrition knowledge,

according to need, to individuals and groups within the community in order to

motivate them to maintain or change nutritional behaviour in order to improve

quality of life and to prevent nutrition-related diseases.

(c) Contributing to therapeutic nutrition bythe

compilation and application of scientifically-justifiable dietary measures as part of the

treatment of a patient or client following referral by, or consultation with, a medical doctor.

(d) The promotion of food service administration by –

the planning, development, control, implementation and evaluation of and guidance in

respect of suitable food service systems for the provision of balanced nutrition to groups

in the community and in institutions for healthy and/or ill persons.

3. The regulations published by Government Notice No R 1894 of 2 September 1983 are hereby

withdrawn.